Young entrepreneur’s business keeps expanding since New Trier’s StartUp U

By the time New Trier High School alumnus Miles Friedman took the school’s entrepreneurship class in 2023, he’d already run a two-week camp in his backyard for about 15 kids between the ages of 7 and 11. 

Since then — when Friedman’s company, Game Time Kids (formerly known as Milmette), won the class’s Pitch Night and was voted the best concept by judges, as The Record previously reported — Friedman said the business has expanded to serve more than 4,000 kids across the North Shore. 

While the company has what Friedman calls a “sportsy” slant, its primary focus is on creating activities that children with different passions, such as arts, sports and STEM, can enjoy. 

“We come up with all these different, unique challenges that draw kids in from all different interests and (in which) kids of all different abilities can compete and feel valued as part of the team,” he told The Record. 

New Trier’s entrepreneurship class helped spur some of the company’s growth and also inspired Friedman’s ongoing business and life journey, with Friedman, now a student at Boston’s Northeastern University studying business and entrepreneurial startups, hustling to make the most of the class experience. 

“All I did with that class was just, everybody who came in, I’d get their email, reach out to them afterwards, and try to find a time to meet one-on-one, and everybody was so willing to meet and so helpful,” he said. 

Friedman was inspired to create Game Time Kids by some of the shows he watched growing up, which include “The Amazing Race,” “Survivor” and “American Ninja Warrior.” When the COVID-19 pandemic began, he created challenges for himself and his family to help pass the time.

He said that experience led to a “light-bulb moment”: If Friedman and his family enjoyed these games so much, then he felt certain that kids would, too.

It was off to the races from there. 

These days, Friedman is successfully juggling school in Boston while maintaining a hands-on role with Game Time Kids. He recruits staff and activity leaders, makes schedules, emails parents, manages the website, sends newsletter, handles finances, coordinates activities with park districts and more.

Among the current offerings, Game Time Kids now hosts camp, a dodgeball league and an Amazing Race program. Friedman is also hoping to get the sports parties up and running again in the near future after a brief hiatus. (As Friedman would run the sports parties, he is hoping to have someone take the helm with them while he is away at school). 

From January 23 to February 20, Game Time Kids will offer a Thursday Dodgeball League at Winnetka Bible Church, led by a coach from Central Elementary School. One of the variations of dodgeball on the docket includes an element of “keep it up,” in which each team must keep a balloon in the air while playing.

This summer, the camp will run for 10 weeks at Orrington Elementary School in Evanston and Trinity Church in Wilmette. Some activities campers might expect are ultimate hide and seek, slip ‘n’ slide March Madness and an egg drop competition with a twist. 

The Amazing Program currently includes one-off events, but Friedman is planning to turn it into a six-week program as well with new challenges every week. Among the 100-plus challenges in Friedman’s repertoire are making a paper airplane that can fly a certain distance, guessing the amount of popcorn in a jar and guessing Taylor Swift’s baby pictures from a range of options.

“At every event, the goal is (for) the kids to just have an awesome time,” Friedman said. “… Whenever a parent or kid tells me they had an awesome time or their kid has new confidence from one of the activities — they finally found a sport that their kid could participate in, be part of the team and feel valued — that means so much more to me and the counselors than the money does. That’s what’s really rewarding about it and exciting about serving this many kids.”

Registration for these offerings is available through Gametimekids.com. 

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